kibale forest national park

Kibale is one of Uganda’s finest destinations, a vast tract of tropical rainforest famous above all for its primates. It is the premier place in the country for chimpanzee tracking and the full-day habituation experience, and also rewards visitors with excellent birdwatching and the beautiful crater lakes that dot the surrounding landscape. With 13 primate species and a large share of Uganda’s chimpanzees, Kibale offers a rainforest experience unlike anywhere else.

Primate Capital of the WorldKibale is known as the primate capital of the world. On a guided forest hike, expert rangers and trackers lead you through the trees in search of chimpanzees and the park’s many other primates — among them grey-cheeked mangabey, olive baboon, red-tailed monkey, blue monkey, black-and-white colobus, L’Hoest’s and Dent’s mona monkey, and the nocturnal potto. Few places on earth offer such a concentration of primate life in one forest.

The Most Incredible and Affordable Chimpanzee Trekking DestinationChimpanzee trekking in Kibale is both unforgettable and excellent value. Compared with the cost of trekking elsewhere, Kibale offers one of the most rewarding and accessible ways to come face to face with our closest relatives in the wild.

The Only Place for the Chimpanzee Habituation ExperienceKibale is the only place in Africa where visitors can join researchers in the process of habituating wild chimpanzees to human presence. Rather than the standard one hour, the habituation experience lets you spend a full day with a semi-wild community, watching them wake in their nests, feed, groom, nurse their young, play and build fresh nests at dusk — an intimate, immersive encounter found nowhere else.

A Chance to Encounter an Incredible Array of Bird SpeciesWith over 340 recorded bird species, Kibale is one of Uganda’s most important birding areas. Guided birding walks with knowledgeable rangers greatly improve your chances of spotting and identifying the forest’s specials, from the great blue turaco to the elusive green-breasted pitta.

Giving Back to the Local CommunitiesA visit to Kibale supports the people who live alongside it. The community-run Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary, managed by the organisation KAFRED, channels tourism income into clean-water and sanitation projects, health services, school supplies and conservation education — a model of tourism that benefits both wildlife and the surrounding villages.

Spend Nights in the Middle of the JungleAround the forest, a range of lodges and tented camps offer a remote yet thoroughly comfortable stay, with warm service and welcome touches such as swimming pools and hot tubs — the perfect way to relax after a day in the forest.

More Information About Kibale Forest National ParkKibale is a protected rainforest of about 795 km² in western Uganda, gazetted as a national park in 1993. Rising between roughly 1,100 and 1,600 m above sea level, it forms a continuous forest corridor with Queen Elizabeth National Park to the south. The park supports more than 60 mammal species, including forest elephant and leopard, alongside its 13 primates and over 320 bird species.

Luxurious Accommodation in Kibale Forest National ParkLodges and camps around the park include Primate Lodge, Chimps’ Nest, Crater Safari Lodge, Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse, Kibale Forest Camp, Ndali Lodge, Kyaninga Lodge and Papaya Lake Lodge.

How to Get ThereKibale lies about 320 km from Kampala and roughly 22 km southeast of Fort Portal. The usual route is the Kampala–Mityana–Mubende–Fort Portal highway, continuing to the Kanyanchu Reception Centre, the main hub for chimpanzee trekking.